Biography:
The Athena Quartet Berlin takes its name from Athena, the ancient goddess of the arts and sciences. The quartet was founded in Berlin in 1999. The artists studied with the Alban Berg Quartet and attended masterclasses with Ferenc Rádos, Gabor Takácz and the Arditti Quartet, among others.
Through intensive collaboration with composers such as György Kurtág, Henri Dutilleux, Pascal Dusapin, Konstantia Gourzi and Hans Zender, the quartet developed a keen interest in contemporary music. Another focus in the quartet's broad repertoire is its engagement with works of the Viennese Classical period, with an emphasis on historical performance practice.
The Athena Quartet was a prize winner at the Concours de Genève/International Music Competition and won the Joseph Joachim International Chamber Music Competition in Weimar. In addition to regular radio recordings for SWR, BR, WDR, RBB and NDR, the quartet has released two CDs to date, featuring works by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Sergei Prokofiev and György Kurtág, among others.
The ensemble gives numerous concerts in Europe and performs at international festivals.
Albums:
Complete Works for String Quartet:
